Seven
My time at Circle was the most amazing and formative two years of my life. Unfortunately, at that time I had not educated myself enough to pay attention to the inequities my peers may have been experiencing within the classroom. I had the privilege to feel safe enough in my classes to experience a full artistic awakening and grow in my artistry and Circle in the Square has the responsibility to ensure every student feels safe to grow freely.
The one time I felt unsafe in a class at Circle was when I witnessed a male teacher behaving inappropriately with multiple female students in and outside the classroom. My witness to these situations made me feel unsafe, uncomfortable, and like I had to close myself off in class, essentially undoing two years of hard work to be open and vulnerable. I addressed my concerns with this teacher directly, specifically what I felt was an abuse of power, and was immediately gas lit by him. I brought my concerns to an administrator who, to my knowledge, did not choose to act with authority on the situation at the time. This teacher's predatory behavior continued past my graduation and he remains an active faculty member. The consequences of speaking my mind, in my belief, have limited the number of opportunities I may have been offered among the Circle alumni. I merely witnessed this situation and the results of speaking up made me feel miniscule- I can't imagine the experiences of my friends who were impacted directly by acts of discrimination and abuse of power.
I want Circle to move forward and the artistic work to continue, but in order to do so it needs to address that there are inequities within its system that do not afford BIPOC the same joy filled experience as mine. They need to acknowledge that they have heard stories of these inequities but have not listened and acted to correct them.I hope through hard work and listening we can build a program where no student feels they are being marginalized or can’t fully embrace their human being because of their race, gender, or sexual orientation.
I love Circle in the Square and what it should and can be.
— Caitlin Nosal